[Illustration: “Now, my lad, keep quiet an’ you won’t get hurt.”] SAM STEELE’S ADVENTURES On Land and Sea By CAPT. HUGH FITZGERALD [Illustration: Publisher logo] CHICAGO THE REILLY & BRITTON CO. PUBLISHERS Copyright, 1906, BY THE REILLY & BRITTON CO. LIST OF CHAPTERS CHAPTER PAGE I I Hear Bad News 9 II I Find a Relative 24 III My Fortunes Improve 40 IV I Ship Aboard the “Flipper” 54 V “Nux” and “Bryonia” 66 VI The Land of Mystery 83 VII The Major 91 VIII The Sands of Gold 110 IX The Outlaws 124 X The Rocking Stone 137 XI The Cavern 153 XII We Recover the Gold 169 XIII The Catastrophe 184 XIV Buried Alive! 193 XV The Major Gives Chase 206 XVI The Grave Captain Gay 219 XVII We Give up the Ship 235 XVIII Uncle Naboth’s Revenge 247 XIX The Conquest of Mrs. Ranck 257 XX Steele, Perkins & Steele 270 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FROM ORIGINAL PAINTINGS BY HOWARD HEATH “Now, my lad, Keep Quiet an’ You Won’t get Hurt” _Frontispiece_ Captured by the Gold-Hunters 97 A Hazardous Climb 177 “Leave the Room, Sir!” 231 “Here’s the Treasure House, Sir!” 265 CHAPTER I. I HEAR BAD NEWS. “Sam—come here!” It was Mrs. Ranck’s voice, and sounded more bitter and stringent than usual.